Libya Releases Four Egyptian Christians from Prison

Libya Releases Four Egyptian Christians from Prison

Libya released four Egyptian Christians from prison on Thursday, the ICC reports. The prisoners had spent more than a month in jail, accused of proselytizing. Egypt’s state news agency MENA said the authorities dropped the charges. The release comes after Egypt extradited two members of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s regime earlier in the month. Last month, Egyptian judicial sources told Reuters Egypt was seeking to swap the Libyans with the Egyptian Copts. Libya’s small Christian community has expressed fears over Islamist extremism as the government struggles to impose its authority over armed groups. Christians there are persecuted by both the government and radical Islamists.